The law also includes information and regulations pertaining to how physical documents and electronic storage devices that contain confidential patient information are both stored and destroyed.
The Proper Disposal of Information Matters Now More Than Ever
Properly shredding and destroying patient records is just as important as securely storing it. This prevents sensitive documents from falling into the wrong hands, prevents medical offices from breaches and ensures employees can operate at optimal levels while maintaining patient trust. It also keeps the healthcare provider in compliance with HIPAA, preventing fines and legal action when standards are not met.
When searching for a shredding service, consider the following questions:
- Does the facility at which your documents will be shredded record access via key cards and video surveillance?
- Can your shredding service provide certificates of destruction or videos of patient documents being destroyed?
- Is a mobile shredding service available to shred documents at your office?
- Can the service handle the disposing of hard drives, flash drives, mobile phones, RAM or ROM-based storage and other devices?
If a shredding service cannot ensure the secure shredding and destruction of patient documents and office devices, your medical office could be held legally liable or considered out of compliance with HIPAA. This could come with hefty fines and other disciplinary actions.
Don’t take chances. Protect patient privacy and your medical office by working with a shredding service that takes security seriously. Learn more, today.
Not ready to shred but need secure offsite storage? Higher Information Services can help with that too!
